Levitation fluid dispenser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10244901-B2
Application number	US-201615360379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2016
Priority date	Nov 24, 2015
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A hand cleaner fluid dispenser, including a reservoir for containing hand cleaner fluid to be dispensed; a dispenser outlet for discharge of the hand cleaner fluid from the reservoir; and a discharge mechanism operable to discharge a drop of the hand cleaner fluid from the dispenser outlet when activated. A levitator device is incorporated into the hand cleaner fluid dispenser, and is operable to levitate the drop of hand cleaner fluid at a position where the drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of dispensing a fluid onto a user's hand characterized by:
levitating in air a first drop of the fluid where the drop is accessible to be taken by the user's hand; and
moving the user's hand to take the drop.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein while levitating the first drop, levitating a second drop of the fluid accessible to be taken by a user's hand proximate where the first drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand.

3. The method of claim 1 including, after levitating the drop for a period of time, collecting the drop in a collection vessel by controlling levitation of the drop to cause the drop to descend downward towards the collection vessel.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fluid includes one or more of a skin cleaner, a skin moisturizer, a skin disinfectant, a skin medication, an insect repellent and a skin perfume.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fluid comprises a hand cleaning fluid.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising aerodynamic levitating the drop with an upwardly directed flow of air.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the fluid includes one or more of a skin cleaner, a skin moisturizer, a skin disinfectant, a skin medication, an insect repellent and a skin perfume.

8. The method of claim 6 comprising levitating the drop with a levitating device for a period of time at a height above the levitator device within a range of positions where the drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the range of positions where the drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand permits the drop to be grasped by the user's hand without the user's hand engaging anything other than the drop and air within which the drop is levitated.

10. The method of claim 9 including:
monitoring whether or not the drop is at a height above the levitator device within a range of positions where the drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand.

11. The method of claim 9 including:
providing a reservoir for containing a fluid to be dispensed;
discharging an allotment of the fluid from the reservoir out a discharge outlet to form the drop;
discharging the drop into the upwardly directed flow of air with a velocity and at a direction that the drop is directed by a velocity profile of the upwardly directed flow of air to levitate the drop above a central portion of the velocity profile.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the fluid includes one or more of a skin cleaner, a skin moisturizer, a skin disinfectant, a skin medication, an insect repellent and a skin perfume.

13. A method of dispensing a fluid characterized by:
sensing when a user is proximate to a levitator device, and
on sensing a user to be proximate to the levitator device, aerodynamically levitating in air a first drop of the fluid with an upwardly directed flow of air for a period of time at a height above the levitator device within a range of positions where the drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand,
wherein the range of positions where the drop is accessible to be taken by the user's hand permits the drop to be grasped by the user's hand without the user's hand engaging anything other than the drop and the air within which the drop is levitated.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the fluid includes one or more of a skin cleaner, a skin moisturizer, a skin disinfectant, a skin medication, an insect repellent and a skin perfume.

15. The method of claim 13 including repeatedly levitating successive drops of the liquid while the user is sensed to be proximate to where the drop is to be levitated.

16. The method of claim 15 including, after levitating in air, each successive drop of fluid where each successive drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand for a period of time, levitating in air a next successive drop of the fluid where the drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand.

17. The method of claim 13 including:
while a user is sensed to be proximate where the drop is to be levitated, (i) performing a series of steps of:
(a) conducting a first monitoring indicating that a first drop was at a height above the levitator device within a range of positions where a drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand, followed by (b) conducting a second monitoring indicating that a first drop is not at a height above the levitator device within a range of positions where the drop is accessible to be taken by a user's hand, and (c) promptly levitating a subsequent drop and
(ii) repeating the series of steps (i) and (ii) until the cumulative volume of fluid of the first drop and each successive drop represents a predetermined volume suitable for a predetermined use of the fluid.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the fluid includes one or more of a skin cleaner, a skin moisturizer, a skin disinfectant, a skin medication, an insect repellent and a skin perfume.

19. A method as claimed in claim 13 including:
moving the user's hand to take the drop.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the fluid includes one or more of a skin cleaner, a skin moisturizer, a skin disinfectant, a skin medication, an insect repellent and a skin perfume.

Assignees

• Op Hygiene Ip Gmbh

Inventors

• Ophardt Heiner
• Lang Albrecht
• Steltenkamp Siegfried
• Duncan David
• Ten Valery

Classifications

• A47K5/1202

  dispensing dosed volume (A47K5/1201 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47K5/1217 Primary

  Electrical control means for the dispensing mechanism · CPC title

• A47K5/1211

  using pressure on soap, e.g. with piston (A47K5/1201 takes precedence; using squeeze bottles or the like A47K5/122) · CPC title

• A47K2005/1218

  Table mounted; Dispensers integrated with the mixing tap · CPC title

• E03C1/0404

  Constructional or functional features of the spout · CPC title